


Your Own Private Idaho

by Naner



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Box!Mettaton for first chapter, Other, gender neutral reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-18 20:09:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20197453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naner/pseuds/Naner
Summary: You're an inky monster getting ready to meet your idol. You've worked up the nerve to go to one of his book signings but you just might get more than you bargain for.





	Your Own Private Idaho

Down below, hidden away in Mt. Ebbot, held the world of monsters in the Underground. Away from the hustle and bustle of human city life was instead a peaceful world that existed without all the chatter of day to day life. Things were calm. From Snowdin to the Waterfall, things were _relaxed_

But that wasn’t to say that it was boring! Oh no, _far_ from it. While humans drove around in cars and other nonsense machines, monsters strolled through the Underground and even caught the ferry if they were in a hurry. The only chatter was among themselves with bubbling excitement. Especially when it was about the only TV star showing his face on all of their television screens.

**Mettaton**.

The name radiated with a glow throughout the Underground. Everyone was enraptured with his charm - his _charisma_! There weren’t _any_ monsters that didn’t know of him. His shows were the talk of the Underground!

Especially to an excited, inky monster that was glued to your TV every night to watch the best show: _Cooking with Mettaton_. You were a terrible chef and had found Mettaton’s cooking show to be quite informative for your novice skill set. He was very direct with instructions that made it easy to follow and it helped that you found yourself blushing and smiling while he was talking. Somehow, to you, that made it easier to process all the instructions.

Sure, you could admit to having a crush. You wouldn’t deny it. But those feelings were to be hidden away when you embarked on decidedly the craziest feat to get you out of your comfort zone: a book signing. Mettaton was touring! And you could _meet_ him! Maybe. If you weren’t so scared.

This was your chance to meet the Underground’s first and only actual star! It was almost too much for a little fan like you to handle.

So, you stood in the humongous line that wrapped around the building three times over, Mettaton’s cookbook that was not so pristine anymore (the pages were falling apart from how often you used it) in your hands. You nervously looked around at all the pretty monsters that were also lined up with brand new books ready to be signed. They looked eager to just see to Mettaton. You had heard rumors that the staff that he would be far too busy to actually _talk_ to anyone. _Stars didn’t have time to talk to normal folk_, you thought.

But they had to be wrong! Mettaton seemed so kind, so _loving_… would this whole thing ruin this for you? You didn’t want to skip out, but now had second doubts even as you approached the front of the line. Eagerly, you tried to peek when the next person went down the lined corridor into the room covered by a thick curtain. If he had been put in the middle of the store, there would have been chaos. However, the suspense of not seeing or hearing anything made it all the worse on your nerves.

When they finally ushered you into the room, you froze in place, eyes widened at the sight of the boxy robot. You were starstruck.

And while it was true that Mettaton was a bit of a _diva_, to be honest, it didn’t mean he didn’t care for his fans. Oh, no. That was the furthest thing from the truth. Mettaton knew he was nothing without fans to cheer him on! He was making sure to take his sweet time with every monster that came to his signing, despite the earlier rumors.

So, when the dear little monster scurried into the room, looking for all the world like you were about to keel over on the spot, he let the lights on the front of his current body shine a bit brighter. Show you that he was happy. It was the closest thing in this rectangle he currently had to giving you a wide, friendly smile.

“_Hello, darling_,” he called out, voice as pleasant and unexpectedly melodic from such a rigid shape as always. “Please, don’t be shy. Let me see your beautiful self, dear viewer!”

One gloved hand reached out, and he beckoned you forward, voice all warmth and earnest pleasure to see someone.

“Let me see what you’ve brought to be si- _oh, my_!”

His optical sensors fell to the ragged book, but where you had thought he would be disgusted, the robot was instead _delighted_! You clearly enjoyed his writing and instructions enough to read the book to the point of making the book lovingly used.

“Oh, darling, I’m so glad to see that my writing has been so well loved!”

Your hands trembled as you stepped forward but all the fear melted away with the voice you loved. It was loud and robotic- (a human would have called it the stereotypical movie robot voice) - and to you it felt like _music_. Mettaton, in all his boxy glory, was everything you dreamt of.

So, you found the courage to speak up finally.

“Your cookbook really helped me! I-I use it pretty much every night when there’s a re-run on TV.” You smiled at him, your hands fidgeting nervously. “I was a really terrible cook before your show. All I ate was instant noodles!”

The pages were lined with notes and doodles that you had made while cooking. Things like _‘added more cheese - yummy!!!’_ and _‘stove needed longer to cook this’_ on various recipes. And the doodles? Well… There were lots of hearts. **Lots** of hearts.

While you extended it out for him to sign, you were careful not to let the loose papers slip of all the drawings you had made specifically of him with even more hearts around. It was as bad as a school yard crush. Though, most every monster had a crush on him so it wasn’t unusual.

“I just wanted to say thank you - your program… it made me feel like when, even if I get frustrated with myself about cooking, that it’s okay. Just like with lotsa stuff in life! Mettaton… you really give me _hope_.” Your ink started to drip as you blushed. “Even extroverted monsters need the reminder that it’s okay to mess up. A-and that… that there’s someone out there who’s always proud of us, even if he’s on the other side of the screen.”

You noticed that Mettaton’s handlers were starting to get impatient. Oh no, you had taken too long talking! Suddenly filled with embarrassment, your body sagged down as you looked at one of the nearby handlers start to approach, a stern look on his face. Oh, you were gonna get kicked out! You shouldn’t have wasted his time…

With a stern-sounding cough from the powerful monster, the handlers paused where they were and shuffled awkwardly away. Technically, _yes_, there was supposed to be a time limit. Had Mettaton been paying attention, he would’ve known that the time limit was only about thirty seconds long. And you had _far_ exceeded it.

_But._

Mettaton was the star here, and, if the star wanted to spend a little bit more time with a particular fan? Well, they wouldn’t be able to do anything to stop that. He was, after all, a very strong monster. And the handlers were more there just because it was something that a lot of human stars had. Truthfully, Mettaton would have been _more_ than capable of handling himself.

His attention shifted back to you, taking the book gently out of your hands before holding both of them in his own. He had no eyes to gaze into but there was a distinct feeling that he was gazing at you still.

“Beautiful, you have _no_ idea how happy it makes me to hear that. Truthfully, I wasn't exactly the _best_ at cooking before I started putting one hundred and ten percent of my effort into it! I could… well, I could make snail sandwiches and that was about it.”

He chuckled, patting your hands kindly.

“I'm _so_ glad I could help someone else find that special spark that you only get when you cook something delicious and get to feel proud of yourself. I'm _proud_ of you, darling.”

The ink on your cheeks dripped onto the floor as you beamed from ear to ear. He was everything you had hoped he would be. Not the egotistical robot people said he was. No, his heart was true.

As he held your hands, you squeezed him gently. Sure, he was metal and you were a dense ink, but you wanted him to know how much you adored him.

“You truly are the star we need down here, Mettaton,” you softly spoke. “You give us all courage, even when some of us are worried about being trapped in the Underground.”

Tears welled up in your eyes even as you continued to smile at him. You were so _happy_.

"You distract us from everything scary. Just by being so positive.” You bashfully looked away as soon as you realized tears were spilling out from the corners of your eyes. “Heh… _I’m sorry_, I didn’t think I’d get all choked up. I just…” You squeezed his hands again. “I’m happy I got to meet you. You… you’re my _hero_, Mettaton.”

Wiping the tears from your eyes, Mettaton stood up and did what he hadn’t really done for any fan that entire day. He got out from around the table he sat behind, piled high with posters and CDs and books and-

And body pillows. Square body pillows, exactly in the shape of Mettaton.

He got up, wheeled himself around, and wrapped both of his noodly robot arms right around you. Mettaton pulled you close, softly rubbing your back and letting you cry against him. Letting you get it all out, so you would be beaming when he pulled back.

"You’re the one who makes it possible to do this, darling. _I_ should be thanking _you_. I wouldn't be where I am without everyone supporting me.”

That truly floored you. Your heart was beating loudly in your chest as the robot hugged you tight. He was so huge compared to other monsters but being held by him was so… _comforting_.

After the last of the tears fell, you hugged him back. You hugged him and laughed. A happy, proud laugh.

"You’re really something else, Mettaton. You’re not just a star - you’re the whole _universe_!” Indeed, when you pulled back, you were smiling again. “Shining bright. Always there for us sappy monsters.”

You took one of Mettaton’s hands in both of yours and just let the feeling of touching him linger for a moment. It was as if you were gaining some of his energy just by being so close. 

“I’m so glad for this moment. I… I never really thought I’d be here talking to you like this.”

Something was slipped into the palm of your hand as you held both of his cartoony, gloved hands. Something that felt entirely like a slip of paper.

Mettaton could have easily just written it into the book that he then pulled away to sign, insisting the entire time that he also send you back with a second copy just because of how well-loved the one you had brought was. He could have even just _not_ given you his private phone number. It wasn’t something he wanted to be leaked, after all.

But Mettaton was **impulsive**.

And he knew that you wouldn’t hurt him, not after you spilled your heart out. Mettaton was, among several other things, one of the best judges of character in the whole of the Underground.

“Keep a hold of that, darling,” he ‘whispered’ as he gave you the book back. “And make sure to reach out soon.”

You looked at the paper and then to the two books now in your hands. There were stars in your eyes. Hell, you couldn’t stop smiling. Excitedly, you hugged Mettaton once more before you thanked him profusely.

“I-I promise! I…” You, too, were impulsive. Enough so to have the audacity to kiss the edge of his rectangular form. “Thank you. Thank you!”

The line moved once again with the final monsters trickling in. You left, waving goodbye to Mettaton. Then you went straight to the alleyway behind the hotel. Your body was buzzing with energy as you finally caught your breath and looked at the phone number again.

Oh, you should have given your number back to him! When would you know if he wasn’t too busy? He was always busy! He was a star! But he… he was so sweet.

Your heart still pounded as you took a seat on the ground, shakily saving the number into your phone so you wouldn’t forget to. You added a lot of heart emojis before you stared at the blank message screen.

No.

You’d wait. That was what you would do!

But you wanted to see him again soon. So soon…

And even at that moment, Mettaton was waiting to hear back from you. You had been _so_ adorable. He had found himself so taken in with the smaller monster that he couldn’t wait for you to try to get in contact with him. Truthfully, the robot didn’t know what had happened, but at the gentle press of your inky lips against his hull, he had felt a spark.

One he hadn’t felt since seeing the prototype body that Alphys had made for him. Not since he had been a ghost, looking at the new form that was waiting for him to slip in like a glove that would fit perfectly.

So he waited for your call after the signing was done, eagerly staring at the phone screen inside his mechanical body. Wondering if you would do it that same day and wondering if he should have gotten your number as well. After all, he, well, he wanted to hear your voice again. That sweet little voice that made him feel _important_.

Like he had always wanted to be.

After a pep talk from Bratty and Catty about what you should do, you finally gathered up the courage as you were laying in your cozy little bed. You could hear the downstairs noise of the bar below - Grillby had been kind enough to let you stay in the small attic if you promised to catch any cats that came into the bar. The dogs hated them.

So, you lay in your bed and finally sent the message.

_ `Hi, Mettaton! This is the ink monster from your signing earlier. I just wanted to thank you again for everything. I hope that you’re managing to get some rest after meeting all those people. You’re so awesome!!`_

You sent a little sticker emoji of a human holding up a sign with a heart, thinking it looked more casual than the silly message you wrote.

Nervously, you locked your phone and placed it on your stomach, your heart racing again.

You wished that he could feel what he did to you. Just the thought of him made your body tingle with anticipation. It was euphoric. He was so amazing…

There was a buzz of a reply almost immediately after you placed the device down. Mettaton was more than a double texter; if it was more dramatically appropriate to do so, he would text upwards of ten times in a row.

Thankfully, this wasn’t one of those times.

`i was so happy to see you too, my dear! i do hope i didn't scare you too much by giving you my personal number ;P i would love to see you again one of these days! how would a get-together at my hotel sound? the restaurant there is wonderful!`

Metal fingers didn’t need to tap a reply, as Mettaton was… well, being a robot as he was he was already part phone. He could do it just as himself. The emoji made him laugh, looking into the mirror and momentarily seeing his new body in his mind, beaming back at him and shaking with a laugh.

Maybe…

Maybe he’d debut it to you.

`You didn’t scare me! I just didn’t know when would be the right time to reach out. You’re always so busy filming, I’m sure! I’m so glad you replied. I’m free most days, my job is very flexible. I’d love to finally eat at your restaurant! It’s always so booked far in advance that I’ve never gotten to go.`

You squirmed in your bed, absolutely delighted. Your heart pounded louder.

`I know it’ll be just as amazing as your hotel is! ...which has the comfiest beds ever, by the way!! I miss that place already! I heard you put in a new fountain - I’d love to see it when we’re there!`

You couldn’t help but be excited as you typed your reply up quickly.

`well, darling, i’d be more than happy to escort you myself! after all, you seemed so sweet when we spoke.`

Oh, yeah, he was going to show you first. This sweet, shy monster would be the first to see his new body. Beaming internally, Mettaton added a few more sparkly hearts to his text before sending it off into the electronic cyberspace. He’d been waiting so long to finally get to show it off to someone and so the thought of someone who would absolutely be excited to see anything getting to see it first and praising him was…

It was a _lot_. He could barely contain himself.

`I hope I can see you soon. I already miss you :(`

You blushed. Was that too desperate? Maybe. But he was naturally flirty so maybe he would find it cute.

You paused.

`I should go to sleep soon… It was a very long big line today! I hope to hear from you soon? Let me know when you wanna hang out!!`

Then you took a quick snap under the glow of the fairy lights you had. It was a sweet picture of you tossing up a peace sign. You captioned it ‘_Can’t stop smiling_!!’

`well, darling, i was wondering…`

He paused, laying down in his own chassis and letting his ghost body float up and outwards with a phone to continue the text conversation. Now Mettaton could tap his chin in contemplation on what to say next.

After all, he didn’t want to come off too strong. But he had sincerely enjoyed spending time with you. Hell, he didn’t want to wait to see you again, he wasn’t exactly the most _patient_ monster. Part of the consequences of being famous was that he was now accustomed to having things available whenever he wanted, but he realized that it wouldn’t be possible for it to always be that way with his new little friend.

Still, best to ask and be sure.

`would tomorrow at dinner be alright?`

`Yes! If I wake up early and walk over there, I can be there by five. Is that okay?`

You were hugging the phone to your chest, so happy that Mettaton wanted to see you so soon! You bit your lip and also the bullet. Time to get a bit cheesy.

`There’s a Mettaton shaped hole in my heart that I gotta wait that long to see your wonderful face again, so you better see me in my dreams, ok?`

You sent another emoji, this time of a sleeping creature with a heart next to it.

`Oh - is there a dress code? I’ll try and pack something fancy that I can change into!`

`oh, nothing too fancy. i'm going to put on a bowtie, but that’s about it. and it’s a stick-on bowtie, so it doesn’t count as fancy. it’s basically just a sticker to make me look fancy.`

Then he reread your texts and frowned slightly, pushing the fringe of hair out of his face as he wondered why you were thinking that you would have to walk all the way there. How you thought he wasn’t going to completely spoil you.

`walk? oh, no.`

Shaking his head fondly, the ghost tapped out a reply.

`you’re not going to walk. I'll arrange transportation.`

Pausing, he grinned privately and snickered at the followup text he sent, knowing that it would likely fluster you.

`what sorts of drinks do you like, so i can know what they need to stock the limo with?`

It did indeed fluster you. He was making a fuss so you didn’t have to walk? But you were used to it!

But the concern and the spoiling…_You were kind of enjoying it._

`Oh! Um. Seltzer water…? I’m not very picky!`

You looked out your small window. The stars that somehow trickled in from above were shining.

`Maybe after dinner tomorrow we could see these stars together? If you have more time, of course. The stars in Waterfall remind me so much of you. Almost like you fell from the cosmos and landed here with us. Maybe that’s your secret?`

And something else happened that hadn’t in a long time. Something that physically couldn’t happen while Mettaton was in his boxy body. His ghost form and the new body? Those both could do it, but it was still rare.

He _blushed_.

`flattery will get you everywhere, darling,`

He teased, sending a winky emoji and adding a kissy-face one as well.

At the mention of looking at the stars, Mettaton could barely keep from jumping with joy. He loved gazing up at the heavens above! Well, heavens was a bit much. The glittering stones.

`of course! if you’d like, we can even bring a few of the drinks i’ll have prepared for you with us to sip while we gaze up!`

`Sounds wonderful! I’ll see you in my dreams, Mettaton~!`

You blushed once more before you sent her final text for the night:

`Text me when the car’s almost here - I’m at Grillby’s in Snowdin! I can’t wait!!! Goodnight, Mettaton! Sweet dreams!`

You sent a kissy face emoji and then promptly fell into dreamland.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! Just a quick note that this is an introduction chapter for what's gonna be a very smutty fic. Just wanted you guys to know in case you were expecting a PG fic all the way through!


End file.
